Scarborough residents and Centennial College alumni stirred up some Old Emotions and even caused some Romantic Traffic at the school’s Progress Ave. campus on Oct.15 as the school hosted its first-ever homecoming weekend.

The band is known for its new wave sounds. They performed a wide range of classic 80s hits as well as songs off their newly-released album, Static in Transmission.

It was fun to open up for such a well-known band

— Rashed Yaqubi

Centennial College students and talent search winners, the Yaqubi Bros, opened for the Spoons.

“It was fun to open up for such a well-known band,” said band member Rashed Yaqubi. “We had a lot of fun. I really liked the crowd, they were really supportive.”

The new AWC has been underway since 2007 and now features approximately 65,000 square feet of squash courts, an 80-metre indoor track, two separate aerobics centres and a wellness centre. The gymnasium also offers a 1,500 seat concert venue.

The official opening was on Oct. 17. It is open to both Centennial College students and members of the public.

The AWC is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Markeem Jacobs, a Scarborough resident, attended the event with friends after hearing that the newly-renovated gym would be open to the public.

“I’ve been looking for a gym close by with affordable rates and I wanted to check it out,” he said. “This is one of the nicest gyms I’ve seen in a while. I can’t wait to play basketball here.”

Coordinator of the Alumni Association, Krista Newton, said the proceeds from Saturday’s event will go directly towards a scholarship.

“The Alumni Association has a number of scholarships and we’re in the middle of doing some more,” she said.

She added that the Alumni Association offers a variety of scholarships for Centennial students, including a tuition scholarship that goes to one student every year and covers their entire tuition costs.

“We have seven school entrance scholarships, two athletic scholarships and last year we started a single parent scholarship,” she explained.

The money will go into that school fund which funds all of those [scholarships]. As we get all of those proceeds together we will start the next scholarship, which will most likely fund an alumni coming back to school.”

Newest member of the Spoons and keyboardist, Casey MQ joined the band in December 2010 after a friend told him to audition. He called the night a success.

“I had a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a really good time.”

Having only graduated from high school two years ago, MQ decided to pursue his passion for music instead of attending college. Though he’s not in school now, he’s unsure of what the future will bring.

He was thrilled that the proceeds from the night’s event will help students pursue their dreams by offering those less fortunate with financial aid.

“I find [scholarships] crucial,” he said. “It’s so important that we constantly give back to our education. It’s out of this world how much money school costs.”

If they’re provided with these scholarships, it can motivate and help them.”

Like MQ, Newton believes all students should not only have access to these scholarships but should be aware of the various options available to them.

“A lot of students that come here can’t afford to pay for their tuition upfront and a lot of them are coming back for career training so it’s very important that students have the opportunity to come back or start post-secondary education,” she said.

Newton also said that a lot of scholarships are not given out each year because many students fail to inquire about them.

Students are encouraged to check with the financial services office at the college or university they attend to find out more information on how they can apply.